Shrimp: Conflict Between Mexico and Honduras Continues

It has been four months since Mexican authorities blocked shrimp imports from Honduras, with no solution in sight in the short term.

<span dir="ltr">Alleging the presence of the yellow head disease, a blockade has been in effect in the North American country since October 20.

As a result of a commercial dispute, sales of shrimp abroad declined in thelast year. According to the Honduran association of fish farmers, between 2016 and 2017 the export volume fell from 13.9 million pounds to 10.7 million pounds, which is equivalent to a reduction of 23%.

In this context, Arnaldo Castillo, the Secretary of Economic Development of Honduras, sent a letter on February 8 of this year to his Mexican counterpart, Idelfonso Guardado, requesting a resolution of the commercial dispute.

According to Elheraldo.hn in the letter the Honduran official states that "... the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (CSIRO) confirmed that 'there is no presence of the Yellow Head Disease virus in the samples collected by Senasa and sent in a prompt manner to the Senasica'."

In the letter Castillo requests "... that the corresponding authority intercede to lift the restrictive measure on Honduran shrimp's entry into the Mexican market, which represents a clear economic impact on producers of this product in Honduras."

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Because the creation of a new sanitary regulation in Mexico will take more than three months, it will be almost impossible to resume exports of fresh Honduran shrimp to the North American country this year.

Mexico's blockade of Honduran shrimp imports has been in effect since October 20 last year, after Mexican authorities cited the presence of yellow head disease in the product purchased.

New requirements that Mexican authorities intend to place on shrimp imports cultivated in Honduras do not indicate, at least in the short term, that there will be an eventual suspension of the blockade.

Honduran exporters claim that starting from more than 30 days ago Mexican health authorities have prevented entry of the product arguing the presence of yellow head disease.

Although the National Service of Agricultural Health (SENASA) claims to have presented to its counterparts in Mexico tests that rule out the presence of the disease in the Honduran shrimp farms, they are still stopping entry of the product in the north American country.

Despite complaints from local farmers, it has been confirmed that the Mexican government will not restrict the entry of 15 million tons exported annually by Honduras.

Shrimp producers in Sinaloa, Nayarit, Michoacan and Sonora, pressured the Mexican authorities to prevent the entry of Honduran shrimp, claiming that the product is contaminated by the disease Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS).

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